Iranian Blogger Soda Ebrahimi Shamsabadi Sentenced to Death for ‘Insulting’ Supreme Leader
Iranian blogger Soda Ebrahimi Shamsabadi, 33, has been sentenced to death for 'insulting the supreme leader' and other charges after photographing a missile strike site. Her case comes amid a sharp rise in executions in Iran this year.
A 33-year-old Iranian blogger, Soda Ebrahimi Shamsabadi, has been sentenced to death for insulting the country's supreme leader, becoming the latest civilian targeted by the regime. Shamsabadi was charged with "corruption on earth" over accusations that she "insulted the supreme leader," engaged in "media and propaganda activities against national security" and worked "on behalf of hostile governments," according to Iran International. She is also being punished for photographing a site struck by a missile and sending the image to a Persian-language media outlet based outside Iran.
What She Wrote Before Her Arrest
In January, in the days following countrywide protests in which the regime is estimated to have killed more than 30,000 people, Shamsabadi wrote, "We saw how much they killed us." She added, "So many crimes and killings have happened that there are a lot of photos, videos, and documents of it, and a lot of eyewitnesses. More than war, the blood of our mothers and fathers smells of revenge." Taken From Their Home at Night: Iran Twin Sisters Face Death Sentence, 25 Years in Prison.
In her final Instagram post, shared on February 23 with her roughly 10,000 followers, she appeared to anticipate her fate, writing over an image of a black background with a dove and red rose, "If one day I leave this world, just know one thing, I chose the path I believed in." The caption on the post read "either I die, or these bastards."
Held Since March In Bandar Abbas Prison
Shamsabadi, who was raised in Tehran and later lived in Bandar Abbas, has been in custody since March at Bandar Abbas Prison, where she spent 20 days in solitary confinement. Who Was Saleh Mohammadi? Iran Executes Teen Wrestler, 2 Others Amid Protest Crackdown.
Part Of A Wider Crackdown
The case comes amid a sharp rise in death sentences in Iran, which UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said are being used to "instill fear among the population and suppress dissent." According to Norway-based Iran Human Rights, at least 29 people arrested during the January protests have been executed since March. The US-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center has documented 950 executions in Iran so far this year.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 13, 2026 10:06 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).